THE MOBY EQUATION: The Art of Selling Out

Click this post's title and head over to the Washington Post to see if your favorite artist has "sold out" using the "Moby Equation".

I was going to do The Cult's "She Sells Sanctuary" but I can't remember what commercial I heard it in.

Damn you corporate America and your gobs of money!!! Stop helping musicians earn a living at the expense of their artistic integrity!!!

How Did I Not Hear About This Sooner...

From pinkfloyd.co.uk:

PINK FLOYD BOX SET OF ALL 14 STUDIO ALBUMS RELEASED IN MINI FAUX VINYL FORMAT TO CELEBRATE BAND’S 40TH ANNIVERSARY

The 40th Anniversary year of Pink Floyd ends with a typical flourish, the release of, Oh By The Way, a spectacular limited edition box set which contains, for the first time ever, the band’s 14 studio albums. These classic albums are presented in mini vinyl wallets with all the original extras also miniaturised. Floyd’s longtime design wizard, Storm Thorgerson, has designed a sumptuous box, as well as miniaturising the original sleeve artwork. Oh By The Way is released on EMI Records on 10 December (11 December in the US).

This unique box set is the first time in Pink Floyd’s incomparable history that all of their standard studio albums have been packaged together and made available as a set. In addition to the albums and their extras the set comes with a specially designed 40th Anniversary Storm Thorgersonposter featuring 40 Floyd images.

Oh By the Way contains:

• THE PIPER AT THE GATES OF DAWN (Single wallet) August 1967
• A SAUCERFUL OF SECRETS (Single wallet) July 1968
• MORE (Single wallet) June 1969
• UMMAGUMMA (Gatefold 2 discs) November 1969
• ATOM HEART MOTHER (Gatefold) October 1970
• MEDDLE (Gatefold) November 1971
• OBSCURED BY CLOUDS (Single wallet rounded corners) June 1972
• THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON(Gatefold + 2 posters + 2 stickers) March 1973
• WISH YOU WERE HERE (Single + liner + postcard + black shrinkwrap) September 1975
• ANIMALS (Gatefold) February 1977
• THE WALL (Gatefold 2 discs) December 1979
• THE FINAL CUT (Single wallet) April 1983
• A MOMENTARY LAPSE OF REASON (Gatefold) September 1987
• DIVISION BELL (Gatefold) April 1994

Many of these 14 Pink Floyd albums regularly appear in the ‘Greatest’ lists of all time. They represent a body of artistic work which captured the imagination of fans across the globe.

Oh By The Way will be a must for the legion of Pink Floyd fans worldwide, who will note the careful reproduction of the original classic labels. The box set will no doubt be figuring high on the Christmas wish list of many of the new generation of Floyd fans, as the band’s musical legacy continues to exert a powerful appeal some 40 years after it played its first notes.

Now Me:

I just read about this yesterday and if I had the money I'd probably get it. I was such a HUGE Pink Floyd fan "back in the day"and this set is the mother load. I have only a handful of their albums anymore so this would get me back to full Pink Floyd power very quickly.

Check it out HERE.

"Into the distance, a ribbon of black..."

New Releases for Tuesday Dec 11th 2007

MUSIC - Album / Artist:
Pink Floyd / Oh By the Way (16 CD Set)
Bow Wow/Omarion / Face Off
The Dream / Lovehate
Birdman / Five Star Stunna
Beanie Sigel / Solution
Wu Tang Clan / Diagrams
Mario / Go
Gucci Mane / Back to the Trap House

MUSIC DVD - Album / Artist:
Celine Dion / A New Day: Live in Las Vegas (2 DVD)

Remember, these are scheduled for U.S. release and all details subject to change without notice.

For a far more comprehensive list, check out Billboard.com's new release information here.

"Ticking away, the moments that make up the dull day..."

New Releases for Tuesday Dec. 4th 2007

MUSIC - Album / Artist:
Wyclef Jean / Carnival Vol. II: Memoirs Of An Immigrant
Scarface / M.A.D.E.
2Pac / The Best of 2Pac Part 1: Thug
2Pac / The Best of 2Pac Part 2: Life
Ghostface Killah / The Big Doe Rehab
Drama / Gangsta Grillz
Godsmack / Good Times Bad Times: Ten Years of Godsmack (CD/DVD)
Nelly Furtado / Loose - The Concert
Blake Lewis / Audio Day Dream
Too $hort / Get Off The Stage
Trace Adkins / American Man: Greatest Hits II
N.W.A. / Straight Outta Compton - 20th Anniversary
Styles P / Supa Gangsta Extraordinary Gntleman

MUSIC DVD - Album / Artist:
Mariah Carey / Adventures of Mimi (2DVD) *Only @ Best Buy*
Nelly Furtado / Loose - The Concert DVD

Remember, these are scheduled for U.S. release and all details subject to change without notice.

For a far more comprehensive list, check out Billboard.com's new release information here.

"I'm like a bird..."

Who Is Tony Lindsay?

I received a comment about my Ultimate Santana review I did a while back from someone called Shaman and it said:

Shaman quoting me: "I've never heard of Tony Lindsay"
He is in the band since a while .... Do you really know Santana ???

Now Shaman, I freely admit to not being the biggest Santana fan in the world. I have only owned a few Santana albums in my lifetime and most of them were compilations of some sort. But I will say that my review was of the Ultimate Santana album specifically; a compilation filled with celebrity guest vocalists. I had not encountered Tony Lindsay's name before, and I would guess that most people outside of die hard Santana fans haven't either.

According to the Santana (band) page on Wikipedia, Tony Lindsay has been in the band on and off since 1991 and his bio on his own site says he's appeared on such Santana albums as Milagro, Shaman, Ceremony and Supernatural. It does state right on his main page that he is "The greatest lead singer of all time!", so perhaps I should not be so quick to judge; although after listening to "Interplanetary Party" again, my review still stands.

I do think it's safe to say that his contributions to the Santana albums since 1999 have been overshadowed by the numerous guest vocalists that appeared on tracks alongside him such as Rob Thomas, Michelle Branch, Chad Kroeger, Steven Tyler & Dave Matthews among others.

So there you go Shaman, I'm giving Tony Lindsay his due. However, I would imagine that since the Ultimate Santana CD is aimed more at casual fans who have heard these songs on the radio, there will be a good deal of people who will flip to the credits for "Interplanetary Party" and say "Tony who?"

New Releases for Tuesday Nov. 27th 2007

MUSIC - Album / Artist:
Justin Timberlake / FutureSex/LoveSounds (1 CD/ 1 DVD Deluxe Edition)
Mudvane / By The People For The People (1 CD/ 1 DVD)
Pitbull / The Boatlift
Mario / Go

MUSIC DVD - Album / Artist:
Justin Timberlake / FutureSex/LoveSounds - Live From Madison Square Garden (2 DVD - Best Buy exclusive)
Incubus - Look Alive (1 DVD)
Incubus - Look Alive (1 DVD w/ bonus 17 track CD - Best Buy exclusive)

Remember, these are scheduled for U.S. release and all details subject to change without notice.

For a far more comprehensive list, check out Billboard.com's new release information here.

"Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there..."

Shatner Speaks: New Audio Recording of "Exodus"

From STARTREK.COM:

Always a man with a few irons in the fire, look for a new audio recording in the coming weeks featuring the legendary Shatner voice narrating the biblical book of "Exodus" with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra and a chorale group of 350, all under the direction of David Itkin. This performance was recorded live in 2005, but is only now becoming available for purchase or download. This recording will be available on iTunes and elsewhere. Stay tuned for more details!

Now me:

Shatner reading from the Bible with an orchestra??? I'm SOOO there!!! The excerpt above is from a much larger article about what the Shatman is up to so if you love him as much as I do, click this post's title to go to STARTREK.COM and read it for yourself.

New Releases for Tuesday November 13th 2007

Music - Artist / Album:
AFI / I Heard A Voice (Live From Long Beach)
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony / T.H.U.G.S.
Boyz II Men / Motown: A Journey Through Hitsville USA
Dane Cook / Rough Around The Edges: Live From Madison Square Garden
Celine Dion / Taking Chances
Duran Duran / Red Carpet Massacre
Aretha Franklin / Jewels In The Crown - Duets
The Goo Goo Dolls / Greatest Hits Volume 1
David Gray / Greatest Hits
The Hives / The Black And White Album
Ja Rule / The Mirror
Alicia Keys / As I Am
The Killers / Sawdust
Led Zeppelin / Mothership (2CD or 2CD/1DVD)
Seal / System
George Strait / 22 More Hits
James Taylor / One Man Band (CD/DVD)
Trisha Yearwood / Heaven, Heartache and The Power Of Love
Various Artists / Now That's What I Call Music 26

Music Video - Artist / Album:
Bon Jovi / Lost Highway: The Concert
Eminem / Live From New York City
Amy Winehouse / I Told You I Was In Trouble

Remember, these are scheduled for U.S. release and all details subject to change without notice.

For a far more comprehensive list, check out Billboard.com's new release information here.

"...To be a rock, and not to roll."

New Releases for Tuesday Nov 6th 2007

Music CD
Artist / Album
Angels & Airwaves / I-Empire
Barenaked Ladies / Talk to the Hand: Live in Michigan (CD/DVD)
Garth Brooks / The Ultimate Hits (2 CD/DVD)
Chris Brown / Exclusive
Cassidy / B.A.R.S - Barry Adrian Reese Story
Jay Z / American Gangster
John Williams - The Music of Star Wars: 30th Anniversary Collector's Edition
Little Big Town / A Place to Land
Van Morrison - Still On Top: The Greatest Hits
Nas / Nas' Greatest Hits
Nonpoint / Vengence
Taylor Swift / Taylor Swift (CD/DVD)
Various Artists / American Gangster (Soundtrack)
Wisin y Yandel / Los Extraterrestres

Music DVD
Artist / Album
The Beatles / Help! (2 DVD)
The Who / Amazing Journey: The Story of the Who (2 DVD)

Remember, these are scheduled for U.S. release and all details subject to change without notice.

For a far more comprehensive list, check out Billboard.com's new release information here.

New Releases for Tuesday October 30th

Music CD
Artist / Album
Armor For Sleep / Smile For Them
Avenged Sevenfold /Avenged Sevenfold
Baby Bash / Cyclone
Backstreet Boys / Unbreakable
Andrea Bocelli / Vivere: The Best Of Andrea Bocelli
Will Downing / After Tonight
Flyleaf / Flyleaf Deluxe (CD/DVD)
Insane Clown Posse / Juggernauts: The Best Of Insane Clown Posse
Playaz Circle / Supply & Demand
Project Pat / Walkin' Bank Roll
Puscifer / V Is For...
Smashing Pumpkins / Zeitgeist (Best Buy Exclusive Edition w/ 3 bonus tracks & DVD)
Britney Spears / Blackout
Taking Back Sunday / Notes From The Past
Thursday / Kill The House Lights (CD/DVD)
Josh Turner / Everything Is Fine
Various Artists / Dan In Real Life (Soundtrack)

Music DVD
Artist / Album
Bob Dylan / The Other Side Of The Mirror: Live At Newport DVD
Elvis Presley / #1 Hit Performances DVD
Queen / Rock Montreal & Live Aid - Special Edition DVD
Slayer / The Unholy Alliance - Live DVD

Movie DVD
Avatar: The Last Air Bender - Book 3 Volume 1
El Cantante
Captivity
C.S.I. Miami - Season 5
Day Watch
Everybody Loves Raymond - Complete Collection
Family Guy: Freakin' Party Pack - The Complete Collection
In The Land Of Women
License To Wed
Looney Tunes: Golden Collection Volume 5
My So-Called Life - The Complete Series
The Myth
October Road - Season 1
Scrubs - Season 6
Spider-Man 3
Talk To Me
The Wendell Baker Story

Video Game
Guitar Hero III for PS2, PS3, XBOX 360, & Wii

Remember, these are scheduled for U.S. release and all details subject to change without notice.

For a far more comprehensive list, check out Billboard.com's new release information here.

"I want to be... anarchy!!!"

REVIEW: Ultimate Santana by Santana

You've got to hand it to Carlos Santana; he managed to reinvent himself when everyone had forgotten about him. The album 'Supernatural', released in 1999 and led by the hit single "Smooth" featuring Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty, garnered 9 Grammy awards, went 15 times platinum and ushered in a whole new phase of his career filled with renewed commercial and critical success.

'Ultimate Santana', released on 10/16/07 by Arista Records, is a compilation which rightfully shows appreciation to the artists that helped him reclaim pop super stardom with 7 tracks from between 1999 and 2005, reminds us where he came from with 7 tracks from 1969 to 1976 and shows us where he's going (which sounds, not surprisingly, like the last 8 years) with 4 new tracks. Is this the "Ultimate" Santana? Not really. Is it an interesting albeit flawed career retrospective? Yes.

First of the 4 new tracks is "Into the Night" featuring Nickelback front man Chad Kroeger. An uptempo rocker, both Kroeger's voice and Santana's guitar are in fine form here as they run through a catchy number that just might have you tapping your foot. Next up is "This Boy's Fire" featuring Jennifer Lopez & Baby Bash, a danceable pop song that's not nearly as annoying as it should be. This seems to be the most understated that Santana's guitar has sounded on any of his collaborations as of late.

Third is a new version of "The Game Of Love" featuring Tina Turner, who was supposed to sing the song for the album 'Shaman' in 2002. Originally sung by Michelle Branch on that album (also included here), Tina's choppy and wobbly vocals seem to clunk through the song and her lack of range forces it to be performed about 2 octaves lower, which takes away from the light and airy tone of the original. Branch's vocals ooze of vibrancy and yearning; exactly what the song calls out for. Tina still has power in her voice and can belt it out with the best of them, but the smoothness and finesse of her prime have since faded, leaving the song weighed down and plodding. If Santana just HAD to work with Tina Turner this time around, perhaps a new song could have been chosen instead of remaking one that won a Grammy Award for "Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals" a mere 5 years earlier.

The final new track is called "Interplanetary Party" and doesn't feature a celebrity vocal; in fact, I've never heard of Tony Lindsay, the guy credited with the lead vocal on the song. Uninspired lyrics, bland vocals and cheesy horns recall a smooth jazz sound that seems out of place on this collection, at least until Santana starts soloing. Written by Carlos Santana, Chester Thompson and Tony Lindsay, this track only helps to solidify the idea that Santana needs other star talent to keep him sounding fresh and contemporary.

Most of the new music fits right in with the more recent material such as the soulful hip hop of "Maria Maria" featuring The Product G&B and alt rock of "Why Don't You & I" featuring Alex Band among others.

Classic rock staples such as "Oye Como Va", "Black Magic Woman" and "Evil Ways" are always welcome and sound great to this day, although younger listeners only familiar with the last decade of slickly produced pop/rock may find these songs dated. At lease they are included to hopefully educate as well as entertain. Note to the kids: 2 members from the early years of Santana (the band) went on to form one of the biggest bands of the late 1970's and early 1980's, Journey. Bonus points if you know which 2 guys.

In focusing on the early "classic rock" hits and the modern pop/rock hits, it manages to paint a picture of a guy who had NO career for the 23 years in between. Granted these were not the most exciting of times in Carlos' musical journey, but to ignore them altogether means that this cannot be considered the "Ultimate" Santana collection. Since it does lend itself heavily to the "hits", it's surprising not to see his version of Russ Ballard's "Winning" (#17 on the charts that year) from the 1981 album 'Zebop!'.

Is this the "Ultimate" Santana? The answer is still 'No', but with most of the bands bigger radio hits from the past 38 years, it is a great place for old fans to get the newer hits and new fans to figure out why were still talking about Santana all these many years later.

1. Into The Night (featuring Chad Kroeger) - previously unreleased

2. This Boy's Fire (feat. Jennifer Lopez and Baby Bash) - previously unreleased

3. Smooth (w/Rob Thomas) - from Supernatural (released June 1999)

4. Maria Maria (w/Product G&B) - from Supernatural (released June 1999)

5. Oye Como Va - from Abraxas (released Sept. 1970)

6. Black Magic Woman - from Abraxas (released Sept. 1970)

7. Evil Ways - from Santana (released Aug. 1969)

8. Corazon Espinado (w/Maná) - from Supernatural (released June 1999)

9. Europa - from album Amigos (released March 1976)

10. The Game of Love (w/Tina Turner) - previously unreleased

11. Put Your Lights On (w/Everlast) - from Supernatural (released June 1999)

12. Why Don't You & I (w/Alex Band of The Calling) - (single released internationally July 2003)

13. Everybody's Everything - from Santana III (released Sept. 1971)

14. Just Feel Better (w/Steven Tyler) - from All That I Am (released Nov. 2005)

15. Samba Pa Ti - from Abraxas (released Sept. 1970)

16. No One To Depend On - from Santana III (released Sept. 1971)

17. The Game of Love (w/Michelle Branch) - from Shaman (released Oct. 2002)

18. Interplanetary Party - previously unreleased

Buy it HERE
Santana's website is HERE

Do the kids these days even know who Journey is???

Replay Factor Spotlight on Badfinger

Badfinger is the rock tragedy you've never heard, about a band you probably don't know by name. Here's your chance to get to know Badfinger's music as well as their story.

If you want it, here it is, come and get it...

Badfinger on YouTube HERE
Badfinger on Wikipedia HERE

Podcast RSS feed HERE.
Subscribe via iTunes HERE.
Direct podcast downloads HERE.

Replay Factor Spotlight on William Shatner

William Shatner is many things... actor, writer, director, producer, equestrian and... SINGER??? Not quite, but he has released some recordings you have to hear to believe. Sit back and take a quick listen through the last 40 years at the Shat Man's sometimes goofy but always entertaining musical career.

Check out:
William Shatner's Official Site
William Shatner on MySpace
William Shatner videos on YouTube

Podcast RSS feed HERE.
Subscribe via iTunes HERE.
Direct podcast downloads HERE.

"I guess I'm going to Shatmandu..."

The Music of Star Wars: 30th Anniversary Boxed Collector's Edition

I'm a collector of Star Wars music in a big way so they've already got me. I own 4 other versions of each of these albums, so why am I still going to buy this set?

1. I'm sick in the head.
2. It contains a CDROM with all of the original album artwork, liner notes, etc.
3. I'm sick in the head.

That's the best in can say. $89.99 for an 8 CD set, 7 of which I already own in one form or another. It's either coming out Oct. 2nd or sometime in Nov; I've read both.

Click the picture to see more information.

New Releases for Tuesday September 18th 2007

ARTIST / ALBUM
Chamillionaire / Ultimate Victory
James Blunt / All The Lost Souls
David Gilmour / Remember That Night - Live At The Royal Albert Hall [2DVD]
Various Artists / Across The Universe (Music From The Motion Picture)
HIM / Venus Doom
Motion City Soundtrack / Even If It Kills Me
Reba McEntire / Duets
Diana Krall / The Very Best of Diana Krall
New Found Glory / From the Screen To Your Stereo Part II
Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds / Playlist
The Donnas / Bitchin'
KT Tunstall / Drastic Fantastic
Eddie Vedder / Into The Wild (Soundtrack)
Paul Potts / One Chance
Barry Manilow / The Greatest Songs Of the Seventies
Rammstein / Volkerball [1CD/2DVD]
U2 / Pop Mart [DVD]
Rick Ross / Rise To Power
Byron Cage / Live At The Apollo
Trin-I-Tee 5:7 / T57

Remember, these are albums scheduled for U.S. release and all details are subject to change without notice.

For a far more comprehensive list, check out Billboard.com's new release information here.

"Shine on you crazy diamond..."

New Releases for Tuesday August 28th 2007

'Hustlenomics' by Yung Joc
'Lead Sails Paper Anchor' by Atreyu
'Poison Kiss' by The Last Goodnight
'Humanity - Hour 1' by Scorpions
'Kovicted (Deluxe Edition CD/DVD)' by Akon
'Lifeline' by Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals
'Heaven & Hell - Live from Radio City Music Hall' by Black Sabbath
'Sign Of The Times: The Best of Queensryche' by Queensryche
'It's Not Big It's Large' by Lyle Lovett
'#1's' by The Jackson 5
'Lost And Found' by Ledisi
'Noreality' by Noreaga
'Pain & Paper' by Lil' Mo
'Ice Water' by Raekwon
'Roundtrip' by Kirk Whalum
'Afterwords' by Collective Soul (Target Exclusive)
'Classic Cocker' by Joe Cocker

Remember, these are albums scheduled for U.S. release and all details are subject to change without notice.

For a far more comprehensive list, check out Billboard.com's new release information here.

"Hush now don't you cry, wipe away the dear drop from your eye..."

Replay Factor for 08/14/07 Show Notes

Yeah, I'm batting a thousand with getting these show notes up on time.

In this episode, I talk about my friend Jeff's band Finnues, Canadian artist Brad Sucks & The Flaming Lips.

I relay news about Pearl Jam, MTV Unplugged, Martin Scorsese's Rolling Stones Documentary, Puscifer & Tony Wilson. For more on these articles and other music news, check out the "Items of Interest" in the sidebar @ Replay Factor.com.

Also, I run down some of the new releases from Tuesday, August 14th including 'Kissology Vol. 2 1978-1991' by Kiss and 'Live At Radio City' by Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds. For more new release information, check Billboard.com.

No formal review this episode.

Music played in this episode:
"Crash!" by The Propellerheads
"Disenchanted' by Finneus
"The Story" by Finneus
"Making Me Nervous" by Brad Sucks
"Fight Test'" by The Flaming Lip
"Daughter" by Pearl Jam
"Bizarre Love Triangle" by New Order
"Mad World" by Gary Jules

Podcast RSS feed HERE.
Subscribe via iTunes HERE.
Direct podcast downloads HERE.

New Releases for Tuesday August 21st 2007

'Conviction' by Aiden
'An Ocean Between Us' by As I Lay Dying
'Cartel' by Cartel
'Trapped In The Closet' [DVD] by R. Kelly
'Under The Black Light' by Rilo Kiley
'Eardrum' by Talib Kweli
'Kala' by M.I.A.
'Real Things' by Joe Nichols
'One Man Band' by Swizz Beatz
'Halloween (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)' by Various Artists
'This Is Next: Indie's Biggest Hits...' by Various Artists

Remember, these are albums scheduled for U.S. release and all details are subject to change without notice.

For a far more comprehensive list, check out Billboard.com's new release information here.

"The boogie man is coming..."

Replay Factor for 08/07/07 Show Notes

I know I'm late getting this out. Sorry.

In this episode, I talk about my computer problems as of late, Louis XIV's version of Queen's "Flash", Led Zeppelin's November releases, A special edition of the soundtrack to 300 and Survivorman's Les Stroud.

I relay news about Mick Jagger, the Cure, Lyle Lovett, Stevie Wonder, Eminem, Keith Richards, Elvis and the Eagles. For more on these articles and other music news, check out the "Items of Interest" in the sidebar @ Replay Factor.com.

Also, I run down some of the new releases from Tuesday, August 7th including 'Constantine' by Constantine and 'Angels & Devils' by Fuel. For more new release information, check Billboard.com.

I review 'Zeigeist' by Smashing Pumpkins. For more information on Smashing Pumpkins and their new album, go to Smashing Pumpkins.com.

Music played in this episode:
"Crash!" by the Propellerheads
"Gift" by Sugar
"Flash" by Queen
"Black Dog" by Led Zeppelin
"The Stand" by Tyler Bates
"Survivorman Theme" by Les Stroud
"Dancing In The Street" by David Bowie & Mick Jagger
"Get Over It" by the Eagles
"Tarantula" by Smashing Pumpkins
"Doomsday Clock" by Smashing Pumpkins
That's the Way (My Love is) by Smashing Pumpkins
"For God and Country" by Smashing Pumpkins
"Ashes to Ashes" by David Bowie
"Stellar" by Smashing Pumpkins
"Head Over Heels/Broken (Live) by Tears For Fears
"Break My Stride" by Matthew Wilder

Podcast RSS feed HERE.
Subscribe via iTunes HERE.
Direct podcast downloads HERE.

Last Week's Show...

I posted a show last week but still haven't put up a post here about it. Show notes are coming, hopefully tonight as I am about to run off for work.

If you use iTunes or another podcatcher, you should have already downloaded it. To download now, click the link for 'Replay Factor for 08/07/07' in the "Recent Podcast Episodes" section or check the sidebar for more download and subscribe links.

Thanks and enjoy!